I grew up blessed with the ability to travel the world. Being apart of a military family came with the benefit of constant travel. I began calling myself a nomad when I was very young, after I recognized the value of moving from state to state and visiting different countries. I’ve taken planes, trains, automobiles, boats and even a cable car to journey from place to place but, throughout that time, I found myself not enjoying the planes as much. It wasn’t until my mom became a flight attendant and I began flying as a standby passenger alone, did I learn to fully appreciate flying.

Planes allow for a mass shipment of people and cargo in a short amount of time. It’s possible to traverse the whole globe in matter of a day or two. In twelve hours, I can fly from California to China, while it takes two weeks to arrive by boat. This past week, I missed the flight going to Los Angeles, so I flew to San Francisco instead. While waiting at the San Francisco airport for another flight, I took a walk to the international terminal. What I saw amazed me. I looked out the large windows near the gates going to places such as Paris, Amsterdam, and Abu Dhabi and saw multiple Boeing 747’s and 777’s. I even saw an Airbus 380. Seeing those planes all at once was enough to impress me. But walking through the international terminal fascinated me too. I encountered so many foreigners. I had time to kill before my flight, so I sauntered through the terminal observing the crowds. I admit, I closely followed a few Chinese families just so I could practice listening to Mandarin. For a while, I forgot about my own travel plans and the stress of flying standby. Instead of anxiously waiting until I could board my own flight, seeing the other cultures and hearing new accents occupied my time. I realized that I can have these experiences just from a five hour flight from D.C. to San Francisco. So I wondered, I’ve flown overseas and I’ve traveled throughout the world but why haven’t I appreciated flying like this before?

I never enjoyed air travel because I find sitting for an extended period of time in such a small, enclosed space to be difficult. When I was younger, I would feel nauseated anytime we had to fly somewhere. I feel bad for the people who sat by me on planes during that time of my life. Sorry everyone! Even when I started flying standby, I would complain about the uncertainty of boarding the plane, then I found myself telling people that I hate flying. But how could I hate it when it grants me the ability to do and see so much? This past week, walking through the international terminal at San Francisco, I decided to forget about my stressful situation. Instead, I stepped into the shoes of the foreigners around me. During that hour of waiting for my plane, I came up with complex stories for each person I saw. I saw a Dutch family waiting to board a flight to Amsterdam, I imagined them feeling excited to return home after their first visit to America. I pictured them walking up the steep streets of San Francisco and eating dim sum. For the Chinese family, I listened to them talk about what they were going to eat for lunch. I wondered if they liked American food or if they preferred to eat authentic jiaozi, dumplings.

I never appreciated flying when I was younger because I only focused on the negatives. Even recently, I notice my type A personality mixed with the uncertainty of flying standby, turns me into a stress ball. From the time I book a standby ticket to the moment boarding begins, I anxiously check the planes boarding totals, standby list and seat map. But I realized this past week, stressing over a standby ticket is pointless. In the grand scheme of things, my flight plans really don’t matter. I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to fly for free, even if there’s a chance I may not board. If I hadn’t missed the flight to Los Angeles, I wouldn’t of seen the international terminal at San Francisco. I now have the memory of walking through that side of the airport without a care in the world, just happily enjoying the sight of other cultures. Stressing over a flight does no good and not being able to board the plane isn’t the end of the world. Because there’s always another option. Even if the only option is watching the plane back out of the gate and make its way to the runway, I can do that and be thankful that I get to see it.

I really do appreciate air travel and flying standby. Even in the heat of the moment when I say things I shouldn't, deep down I know that I have the power to worry or not. Every time I make it onto a flight, I thank God for it. And when I don’t board, I've learned to still be grateful for the opportunity. I’ve been blessed with the ability to travel the world. I may have thought I appreciated it before but, I didn't appreciate it as much as I do now. It's easy to get lost in my own troubles and forget about the world around me. Just by taking a stroll through a new terminal and choosing to not think about my own problems, I was able to see how amazing flying can be. Only then did I recognize how blessed I am. Taking a step back and focusing on the positives changes more than your mindset. It changes your heart because you learn to appreciate, really appreciate the gifts we are given.